Abu Dhabi/Dubai: The UAE distributors of controversial film The Da Vinci Code say they are confident the movie will get its local debut at the end of this month.
Empire International is hopeful the movie will get approval from the censors in time even though officials in Abu Dhabi say it has not yet been submitted to them.
Interest from cinemagoers in the Tom Hanks feature is expected to be high following brisk sales of the book in local stores and heavy publicity from a recent court case.
Ebrahim Al Hosani, head of the censorship section at the National Media Council, said: "No decision has been taken yet on this movie."
He said the film had not yet been received by Abu Dhabi censors who have the power to ban the movie or give it the green light.
Kifah Ghraizi, Operations Manager for Empire International, said however this did not affect plans for a May 31 release.
"We are still waiting for the censorship board to give us an answer. There is still enough time for the process. It's an internal matter at the Ministry of Information. It will be there on May 31," he said.
Ghraizi predicted the movie which receives its world debut on Friday would prove to be a box office success when it is finally shown in the UAE.
"There really is a big buzz in the market. Everybody is waiting for the movie. It will be playing all over the UAE. It will be a wide release," he said.
Other films that created a storm locally recently include George Clooney's Syriana, which was partly filmed in Dubai and was eventually approved by censors.
Distributors decided not to release gay cowboy movie Brokeback Mountain, in the Gulf region because they feared censors in few countries would approve it.
Movie 'gives distorted view of Christianity'
The Da Vinci Code film is based on Dan Brown's bestselling novel, which is displayed prominently in many local bookstores and even supermarkets.
The movie has already generated controversy locally over confusion as to whether it had already received approval from censors.
Internationally the book and the film have been criticised for the storyline, which centres on claims that Jesus Christ married Mary Magdalene and they had a child together - creating a bloodline that still exists - and that the Catholic Church tried to cover this up.
Some Catholics have called for the film to be boycotted or even banned, and in the UAE one church leader said it presented "a distorted view of Christianity".
Hanks and others linked to the movie have said people should remember the film is fiction.
